Effectiveness of a telephone‐based nursing intervention to reduce hospital utilization by COVID‐19 patients

OBJECTIVE: Determine the effectiveness of a COVID‐19 remote monitoring and management program in reducing preventable hospital utilization. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study utilizing data from electronic health records. SAMPLE: Two hundred ninety‐three patients who tested positive for COVID‐19 at a drive‐through testing site in Michigan. [Correction added on 11 April 2022, after first online publication: In the preceding sentence, “Two hundred and ninety‐third” has been corrected to “Two hundred ninety‐three” in this version.] The intervention group, consisting of 139 patients, was compared to a control group of 154 patients. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was the 30‐day probability of hospital utilization. The covariates included in the analysis were age, gender, tobacco use, body mass index (BMI), race, and ethnicity. INTERVENTION: A nurse‐led, telephone‐based active management protocol for COVID‐19 patients who were isolating at home. RESULTS: The intervention group had a non‐statistically significant 42% reduction in risk of hospital utilization within 30 days of a positive COVID‐19 test when compared to the control group (HR = 0.578, p‐value .111, HR 95% CI [0.29, 1.13]). CONCLUSIONS: A nurse‐led remote monitoring and management program for COVID‐19 reduced the probability of 30‐day hospital utilization. Although the findings were not statistically significant, the program yielded practical significance by reducing hospital utilization, in‐person interaction, and the risk of infection for healthcare workers.